Nothing like beating a first-place team to put some spring in your step.
The Prince George Spruce Kings are feeling much better about themselves this week after they found a way to beat the Wenatchee Wild in their most recent B.C. Hockey League action last weekend.
After three losses at the hands of the expansion Wild, all at the Coliseum, the Spruce Kings got what they were after last Friday when they beat Wenatchee 3-2 on a late third-period goal by junior B call-up Dante Raposo. That came 24 hours after the Wild skated to a 3-0 victory, a game punctuated by missed Spruce Kings scoring chances early in the game.
Wins have been hard to come by for the Spruce Kings (5-12-0-1), who find themselves just one point ahead of the last-overall Surrey Eagles in the 17-team BCHL. But the weekend series against Wenatchee produced encouraging signs the Prince George team has what it takes to compete with any of its league opponents.
"I think the guys are a lot more confident and that's good to see," said Spruce Kings head coach Chad van Diemen.
That starts in goal with Sam Tanguay. The Quebec import from Beauport was outstanding in the Wenatchee series, making 27 saves as the first star of Friday's win after a 22-save performance the previous night.
"Those were his two best games with us this year by far," said van Diemen. "He made a lot of good saves and I thought he did a good job of controlling the play with his puck movement and controlled his rebounds. He was able to clear pucks on his own and gave our defence some relief going into the corners to pick up pucks."
Tanguay, 20, joined the Spruce Kings Sept. 16 in a trade along with future considerations from the Aurora Tigers of the OJHL for 20-year-old goalie Alex Brooks-Potts. Seventeen-year-old Liam McCloskey had been getting most of the starts in recent weeks and played well but now with both goalies on their game, that gives the Spruce Kings some needed versatility in hockey's most critical position.
The Spruce Kings have been getting increasingly steady production from six-foot-three, 205-pound defenceman Adam Brubacher. The 19-year-old from Elmira, Ont., has steadily improved since he was was recruited west over the summer after three seasons of junior B in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League.
In 18 games Brubacher has six goals (tied with Corey Hoffman for the team lead) and nine assists for 15 points and now ranks second in Spruce Kings scoring (two points behind Hoffman).
"We have a few guys on the back there who are capable of putting up some points and Adam has done it on a pretty consistent basis," said van Diemen. "He loves having the puck on his stick and loves making plays and he's proven himself to be one of the elite offensive defencemen in this league. He logs a lot of minutes and he's very responsible in the defensive zone and he's having a great first season with us."
Tonight in Powell River, the Spruce Kings open up a three-game road trip against the other Kings of the BCHL. After an 8-2-0-0 start, Powell River (9-10-0-0) has lost six straight to drop to third place in the Island Division, three points behind first-place Cowichan Valley.
On Saturday the Kings will take on the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (6-9-1-1) in Port Alberni, followed by a Sunday afternoon matchup in Victoria against the Grizzlies (5-12-0-2).
The Spruce Kings hope to improve their special teams play. Although they were held without a goal in two power-play chances against Wenatchee on Thursday, the Spruce Kings' power play has recovered from an atrocious start and now ranks 11th in the league, firing at a 17.81 per cent clip. Prince George penalty-killers held the Wild power play without a goal in five chances Thursday and neither team was penalized in the rematch. The Spruce Kings' PK ranks 16th overall in the BCHL, operating at a 72.39 per cent success rate.
LOOSE PUCKS: D Ryan Fritz has yet to play this season after off-season knee surgery but he was on the Spruce Kings bus Thursday. There's a chance the 19-year-old native of Rochester, N.Y., could play this weekend. D Liam Watson-Brawn, 16, of the Burnaby Winter Club Hockey Academy, will join the Spruce Kings tonight in Powell River and will be with the team for all three games. C Cavin Tilsley is back from a concussion after missing two games. D Cooper Prechel (concussion) remains sidelined.
